Will Fiat Be Investigated For Potentially Using Emissions Cheat Devices?

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The German authorities certainly hope so.

The news of Fiat potentially using its own VW-style emissions test cheat device isn't new. Back in May of this year, German authorities threatened to ban Fiat from selling cars in the country after one of its diesel models was allegedly found to contain a curious piece of software in the ECU. Now, though, things have kicked up a notch, as Reuters is reporting an interesting new development that, if approved, could be the tipping point in this whole emissions test fiddling scandal.

According to government documents acquired by Reuters, German ministers have directly brought the whole incident to the attention of the European Commission, stating a need to consult the Italian authorities after Germany's transport ministry found evidence that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles models like the Fiat 500, the Fiat 500X and the Jeep Renegade contain "illegal exhaust manipulation devices." Considering the Italian equivalent of the German transport ministry claims the Fiat cars it's investigated don't feature such controversial items, it'll be interesting to see if a second round of tests will now be put in place.

Not that the European Commission has the power to force Italy into co-operating with Germany on this FCA emissions investigation. According to the EC, any issues and allegations involving potentially emission-fiddling Fiat models can only be verified and resolved by the Italian government. With that snippet of info at our disposal, it's probably safe to say that, unless an internationally-revered body proves Fiat Chrysler Automobiles do actually feature these controversial devices, it's going to take a while before the Italian authorities decide to re-investigate the issue. Either way, this probably won't be the last we hear of Fiats potentially containing contentious software.